“No, he didn’t…didn’t rape me.” Penny cleared her throat. “He tried but he couldn’t get it in. He—” She had to stop then, as emotions rolled over her. Anger, disgust, and also horror at what she had done. “I can’t believe I cut it off and killed him,” she whispered.
“Believe it,” V’rex said sharply. “And don’t be ashamed or upset about it. Any male that tries to take a female against her will deserves what he gets. I’m just sorry I didn’t get to you earlier.”
“You were all the way across the Compound—I’m amazed you got to me at all!” Penny exclaimed. “And you managed to get the Master Control too! That was amazing, V’rex.”
“Thanks.” In the dim light, she saw him nod. “I’m just sorry we couldn’t take your friend with us,” he added. “I know you wanted to, but everything happened so fucking fast…Hey…” He leaned towards her, a concerned look in his pale gold eyes. “What’s wrong, baby? Why are you crying?”
“Am I?” Penny sniffed and swiped at her cheek. Her fingers came away wet. His words had brought back the horror and sorrow of her discovery in the recycling room.
“You are. Hey, come here.” V’rex put an arm around her and drew her close. “What’s wrong? Tell me all about it.”
Haltingly, Penny told him first about her exam, then about finding the room full of grow-baths and developing NeverBreeders, and finally about the huge machine cutting up bodies in the recycling room.
“So you were right about the meat,” he said, a note of revulsion in his voice. “Gods, and to think I ate some of it before you warned me…”
“It wasn’t just that,” Penny whispered. “It wasn’t just the fact that they were cutting up bodies, it was who the bodies were. I saw them cut up that nice man I bought a toga from last week. And Mother Toone, our attendant at the dorms was there. And…and…” Her throat worked but she found herself unable to say her friend’s name.
“Was Claudette there too?” V’rex guessed. “Was she, sweetheart?”
Wordlessly, Penny nodded. Then she buried her face in his broad chest and sobbed.
V’rex didn’t tell her everything would be all right or spout any kind of meaningless nonsense meant to comfort her. In fact, he didn’t say anything at all. But he gathered Penny into his lap and held her close and let her cry. He stroked her hair and her trembling back until at last, she felt able to talk again.
“They killed her,” she whispered to V’rex in the darkness. “Killed her because she couldn’t have any more babies. They would have killed me too, if we had stayed.”
“I wouldn’t have let that happen, sweetheart.” His voice was a soft growl. “I made a vow to protect you, remember?”
Yes, but that was in the Compound, Penny thought. We’re out of there now. How much longer will he still wants to hang around with me once all the Spice is out of his system? He’s going to look at me and see that I’m not the type of girl he wants at all!
The thought made her sad and she climbed off the big Hybrid’s lap, though at first he didn’t want to let her go.
“You okay, sweetheart?” he murmured, when Penny was sitting beside him again, rather than on his lap.
“I think so.” She sniffed. “It’s just…a lot to process, you know? I mean, first I see my friend like that and then that awful scene at the bakery…” She sniffed again. “I was upset with you for chopping off Skrug’s finger and then I went and chopped off his, well, you know.”
“Yes, you did,” V’rex said firmly. “I’m fucking proud of you, sweetheart. You did the right thing.”
“Thanks, I guess.” Penny sighed. “I just…never thought I’d be in a position to do anything so…so savage.”
“Savage actions call out savagery,” V’rex murmured. “Sometimes you have to let the animal out.”
“I guess,” Penny said again, still not convinced. “I just…I’ve never killed anyone before.”
“Your first kill is always the hardest,” V’rex said grimly. “Did I ever tell you what happened to my father?”
“No.” She shook her head, looking up at him. “You mean you saw him again after…after he abandoned you?”
“Saw him?” V’rex barked an unhappy laugh. “I fucking tracked him down. And what you did to Skrug with that cleaver, well…” He shook his head. “Let’s just say it’s nothing compared to what I did to my Sire.”
“You…killed him?” Penny asked hesitantly.
“I avenged my mother,” V’rex growled. “His death paid for hers.”
Penny felt her stomach fist into a knot. He had killed his own father! But then she remembered she was in no position to point fingers. People who live in glass houses and all that.
“I…I guess I can understand that,” she said at last.
“My Sire got what he deserved,” V’rex said bluntly. “And so did Skrug. Don’t agonize over it, sweetheart. You did what you had to do.”
“Okay.” Penny took a deep breath and made an effort to push the awful memory away. It was over now—no sense dwelling on it. “Anyway, where are we hiding? Is this a cave?” she asked, trying to change the subject.
“In a way. It’s a hollow in the side of a tree—down at the base. Nothing in here is poisonous but I’m afraid before we get going again, I’ll have to sting you to give you some immunity to the plants we’re going to be walking through.”
“You really have to?” Penny asked. She had a vague memory of something intensely painful that had to do with his sting, and though it might just be a dream, it still made her uneasy.
“I’ll try to make it good for you.” V’rex’s deep voice sounded unhappy. “I’m not sure what the problem was before. Maybe something to do with the plants you were exposed to. Could be their poisons reacted with my lust-honey somehow.”
“Okay.” Penny nodded. “Uh, do we have to go right now? And are we
